Space Marine Free-Company

[elohimalpha]

So this is still very much a fluid idea, but I was hoping to get some input from wiser heads than mine. I read some piece of fluff a while ago that mentioned that surviving Marines of destroyed Chapters often have pretty bleak choices ahead of them (some really bleak depending on how they were destroyed). One of those options was to become a pseudo-mercenary, seeking death in battle and all that, redemption and what not.

 

My idea is basically this: a chapter is destroyed by Chaos/Librarian turning to Chaos/something psyker related. Probably the Librarian turns and the Inquisition comes a-callin', wiping the Chapter just to be thorough. Seeing that the innocent and guilty are treated in the same manner, a Sargent takes what survivors and gene-seed he can and takes off. Now, on the run and in desperate need of men and supplies, they act as mercenaries and occasional raiders, all the while a deep seeded hatred for all things psyker is growing. Seeing the taint of psychic power as the greatest danger to humanity, this new "Free Company" is determined to destroy psykers wherever they can find them - including Terra, where the thing that has impersonated the Emperor has kept humanity in shackles for millennia (dramatic, right?)

 

Eventually they make their way to the T'au, and their knowledge of interstellar travel that's free from the need of the Astronomicon is the answer to their prayers (probably some fringe element of T'au - pirates or something). Allying with xenos to further their personal war is a bitter pill to swallow, but necessary.

 

=][=

 

Like I said, still pretty early. I'm not really sure how they'd replace their Marine numbers, other than baby-snatching. I picture these guys as fleet-based, but maybe they can set up shop somewhere. Resupply of Imperial tech is going to be a tough one - rogue elements in the AdMech perhaps?

 

Oh, and it's in no way motivated by trying to get T'au models on the board or anything like that - their tech just fits what I'm trying to accomplish.

 

Anyway, blow it up, twist it around, laugh at it, poke it - do your thing Liber!

[Messor]

I like this idea a lot. They must realize though, that it would be an empire (it would TAKE an empire) that would be getting to Terra, and the odds of stirring up the Tau enough to try something like that are...small. Also, the Tau's interstellar travel is pretty much inferior to that of the Imperium. They can't go nearly as far or as fast. Are you aiming at having this Free Company turn over their tech for study? That makes sense, but even then, it seems like the Tau would have had time and opportunity in the past to study human warp technology, and they haven't gotten anywhere with it.

 

At any rate, I like the idea. Tau-Marine will be a cool combination, and I also enjoy the thought of Inquisitorial investigators showing up on worlds to investigate rumors of potential psykers, only to find them dead.

[Veteran Sergeant]

The problem for the Tau is one of being able to navigate the warp, not the ability to actually get there in the first place. The Tau have no inherent psykers, and thus no Navigators. They sorta bounce off the Warp and that works somehow because GW says it does.

 

Of course, one might ask why they don't just employ human psykers or psykers of other races, but if you ask questions like that, suddenly the fluff doesn't make as much sense. ;)

[Lord Marshal Ragnrok]

interesting concept for 40k. makes me think of lotr rangers or something.  they could be protecting humanity separate from the Imperium. they could operate in the far reaches of human space - like rangers.

[elohimalpha]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

They must realize though, that it would be an empire (it would TAKE an empire) that would be getting to Terra, and the odds of stirring up the Tau enough to try something like that are...small. Also, the Tau's interstellar travel is pretty much inferior to that of the Imperium. They can't go nearly as far or as fast. Are you aiming at having this Free Company turn over their tech for study? That makes sense, but even then, it seems like the Tau would have had time and opportunity in the past to study human warp technology, and they haven't gotten anywhere with it.

Very true about them needing a significant force to get to Terra - currently thinking that the Free Company would be patiently waiting for a time when the Imperium is at its weakest (maybe a Black Crusade or something). That, of course, is their "long game" - for now they're pretty much mercenaries. Not sure if I'll have these guys ally with the Tau empire as a whole - I imagine there's got to be some faction of the Tau that would make good ideological allies, big enough to supply war material, but small enough to ignore for the most part. I'll need to do some more homework on the Tau. As far as the technology sharing goes, the Free Company will be in sort of a hard position, because they need new equipment if they're going to survive. This of course would set off any non-heretical Techmarines still around, and things get even bleaker for the Free Company. Over time and with continued exposure to xeno tech, the mysticism surrounding machines and technology is lost.

The problem for the Tau is one of being able to navigate the warp, not the ability to actually get there in the first place. The Tau have no inherent psykers, and thus no Navigators. They sorta bounce off the Warp and that works somehow because GW says it does.

Of course, one might ask why they don't just employ human psykers or psykers of other races, but if you ask questions like that, suddenly the fluff doesn't make as much sense.

Ha! So the Tau use the same Warp as everyone else - they're just "blind" while they do it? Crud. I thought they had some non-Chaos infested way of getting around that didn't require psykers. Hmm... more thought needed. Thanks for pointing that out Veteran Sargent

And thanks Lord Marshall! These guys would definitely see themselves as "the good guys", out on the fringes, carefully eliminating their enemies so that they don't get overwhelmed - I think your "ranger" idea fits pretty well!

A few more things I've been working on:

- these would be Ultramarines successors - no extra flaws needed to gum up the works, plus the added bonus of the Emperor's Finest giving birth to a group wanting to tear down the Imperium makes me smile

- they see other Chapters as brothers still, though misguided, but any force acting in defense of Humanity is one that deserves their respect. They'll all be needed when the Imperium falls.

- they'll avoid fights they don't think they can win, or fights where the cost of victory is deemed too high. No noble last stands.

- they're not above stealing children to make new Marines, and pressing adults into service as pseudo-Imperial Guard (all for the Greater Good!)

[Messor]

Good ideas. I think what I was getting at was, as you said, whether or not Terra was part of their "long game". That fits much better than trying to make an IA where a force thinks it's about ready to invade Terra.

 

If you're not familiar with the Tau, the only "faction" that would really match your criteria are the Farsight Enclaves. Commander Farisght is the only person to have broken away from the Empire and really made anything of himself. The rest of the Empire is very well indoctrinated and close knit. Not much is known about Farsight's motives though. While the two factions don't fight, aligning with one will still put them at diplomatic odds with the other.

 

Your best bet, IMO is siding with the Empire as a whole (mostly because despite the militarism of the Enclaves, they would almost certainly never make it to Terra), but there are a lot of suggestions in Tau fluff that their allies suffer even more indoctrination. Nothing confirmed, only hinted. So whether or not the Company is aware of that could be an interesting point: They need maintenance and equipment, but can they trust the Tau not to tamper with their gear? It'll be an interesting relationship.

[elohimalpha]

My only worry is that siding with the Empire proper is that this initial handful of Marines will lose their autonomy, if not be outright absorbed. Maybe the Tau will be willing to allow them their freedom as a "diplomatic" force - humans would be more likely to come around to the Tau way of thinking if Marines were the ones sending the message? Not that the Free Company has any interest in furthering the Tau agenda, but if the "money" is good, the Free Company could make it happen. I definitely see this as an alliance of necessity at first, and then one of shared ideology.

 

One way to keep them on the fringes of the Empire is if only a fraction of the Tau military is even aware of them... maybe an ace-in-the-hole that Tau commanders use when they think they need reinforcements? As to why they wouldn't turn to help from inside the Empire itself, I can only think of pride; no one wants to admit to their superiors that they can't handle a situation, and so the Free Company steps in as "off the record" back-up. Payment comes in materials and children (maybe these kids are already indoctrinated by the Tau, and it makes the Free Company uneasy - did the Marine training really get the last of the Tau indoctrination out? How can you be sure? etc...)

 

Either that, or well-equipped Tau pirates (assuming there is such a thing).

 

I'll pick up the Tau codex over the long weekend and see what's what. Farsight sounds interesting... 

[Messor]

Eh. I approached the idea of Tau pirates a long time ago and it wasn't well received, but I don't think it's impossible. The main reason I suggest involvement with the Empire is that no one short of the Empire itself could give them a shadow of a chance at their ultimate goal. I like that first idea, though, and I'd suggest the following to make it work:

 

The Tau Empire functions in a very interconnected way because of the caste system. Very frequently the governing body is personally involved in military actions through the supervision of an Ethereal. With an Ethereal involved, it's almost impossible to keep something like a Merc Company of marines a secret from the people that matter, BUT those people could be on your side: In their first meeting with the Tau, the accompanying Ethereal would consult with leadership back in the heart of the Empire. Together they could plausibly decide that having a company of marines in their pocket is worth keeping quiet. Whatever military detachment the Ethereal was overseeing would then become covert bodyguards/escorts for the growing Company, keeping them out of sight of the rest of the Empire, and supplying them like you said. This would go a long way to justifying a lot of tabletop stuff: A relatively small group of Tau allies (if any) because they'd essentially be using the Company as their blunt instruments, and quality tech and equipment for an otherwise unsupplied force of Astartes.

 

Your force's organization will be important here. Among whatever's left of this Chapter, Apothecaries will have become their life blood which means 1)they probably won't let the Tau near them 2) and they'll take opportunities to train new ones. Everything else really takes care of itself, whether they grow quickly or slowly, have confrontations with the Tau or work smoothly together, etc.

[recon0321]

Like the idea of a mercenary company of space marines....similar to the black co novels...I fact octavulg is doing a DIY project on the black co.....I would think you would need to have brought a apothecary maybe a chaplain...and tech marine....just to cover logistics support and armor....but like the idea alot....kinda like soul drinkers without mutations...

[Lord Marshal Ragnrok]

glad you liked the ranger idea!

 

i agree that special marines like apoths, chaplains and techmarines would be crucial to your company's survival.

 

im also trying really hard to fight the urge to start another DIY of my own that is inspired by your free-company idea and the First Claw of the Night Lords.  you might to look into the FIrst Claw, even if they are chaos.

[elohimalpha]

Eh. I approached the idea of Tau pirates a long time ago and it wasn't well received, but I don't think it's impossible. The main reason I suggest involvement with the Empire is that no one short of the Empire itself could give them a shadow of a chance at their ultimate goal. I like that first idea, though, and I'd suggest the following to make it work:

The Tau Empire functions in a very interconnected way because of the caste system. Very frequently the governing body is personally involved in military actions through the supervision of an Ethereal. With an Ethereal involved, it's almost impossible to keep something like a Merc Company of marines a secret from the people that matter, BUT those people could be on your side: In their first meeting with the Tau, the accompanying Ethereal would consult with leadership back in the heart of the Empire. Together they could plausibly decide that having a company of marines in their pocket is worth keeping quiet. Whatever military detachment the Ethereal was overseeing would then become covert bodyguards/escorts for the growing Company, keeping them out of sight of the rest of the Empire, and supplying them like you said. This would go a long way to justifying a lot of tabletop stuff: A relatively small group of Tau allies (if any) because they'd essentially be using the Company as their blunt instruments, and quality tech and equipment for an otherwise unsupplied force of Astartes.

Your force's organization will be important here. Among whatever's left of this Chapter, Apothecaries will have become their life blood which means 1)they probably won't let the Tau near them 2) and they'll take opportunities to train new ones. Everything else really takes care of itself, whether they grow quickly or slowly, have confrontations with the Tau or work smoothly together, etc.

This really nails it for me - as to why an Ethereal wants/needs a small private Marine force, it's classified so shut up!!

You're right about the Apothecaries as well - they're the lifeblood of what remain of the Chapter, and they'll probably be present in greater numbers (proportionately speaking) than they are in other Chapters. Considering giving them a 'Command Branch' to make up for the hole caused by the lack of Librarians.

recon0321 - I've read all of the Black Company books! I don't know if I'd call myself a fan, but I really liked the non-traditional way Glenn Cook wrote his fantasy. It's cool that this reminds you of that! I'll have to check out Octavulg's diy. The Company will have all the other support personnel as other Chapters for sure - their Techmarines will be considered especially heretical for denying the Machine God and all that. The AdMech would wipe these guys out if they knew they existed! The Chaplains will be in charge of making sure that the Company stays free of any psychic taint - anyone suspected of being a psyker is executed pretty much on the spot.

Lord Marshall - run with it! I don't know too much about Chaos, but I'll check 'em out.

Quick question about the AdMech resupplying Chapters - how heavily guarded would a shipment be? I'm assuming that the AdMech delivers to Chapters instead of the Chapter itself coming out to get its supplies. Either way, I want a supply shipment to get captured by xeno raiders, only to be counter-raided by the Company, who can choose to return the supplies to the appropriate Chapter (and also reveal their existence) or slip away with shiny new supplies. I'll let you guess which they do

As a side-note, I'm having fun with this idea - nothing feels too grandiose or overblown (yet), and the outsider/anti-hero vibe is enjoyable, and there's a lot of ways the Company could develop. Thanks for all the help so far guys

[Lord Marshal Ragnrok]

"Run with it!" god damnit now i have to do that...

 

to answer your Admech question, the AdMech has some of the most advanced war material in the 40k universe, some of which is reserved for themselves. their supply shipments would be extremely heavily guarded. for example, their best ship is better than Imperial Battleships.

[recon0321]

The marines malevolent are known to raid ad mech shipments I would think te shipments would be guarded by skitarii and tech guard with a lot of automated defenses....fighting the urge to do a similar idea....thank you for inspiring me

[jpwyrm]

Well, I'll join my voice to those who have been inspired by your idea. I think this is a pretty darn good way to pull off the Mercenary and Tau-allied concept for space marines, well done!

 

I'll add some ideas and POV on the matter in the next days if it's okay with you (its kinda late now). Have you thought about a name for that Free Company yet?

[elohimalpha]

Glad I could provide some inspiration! I was thinking about the Marines Malevolent and how under-supplied they are - I don't know too much about them, so I hope I'm not just ripping them off

I'll probably keep these guys from attacking AdMech shipments on their own; there's no way they could survive. Coming up with ways that they could recover Imperial tech without actually attacking fellow Marines is going to make for some fun stories, I think. Pirate raids, espionage, treasure hunting... there's options for sure.

As for names, I'm leaning towards "The Free Company of Zacchaeus Blackthorn" or just the Blackthorn Company for short. They'll be larger than a standard company, but smaller than a full Chapter, with Tau and Guardsmen filling in the gaps.

[elohimalpha]

Sketched up some ultra-heretical Gue'vesa Marines on my lunch break - other than looking like total anime Marines, it's been an interesting experiment. Maybe I'll post it in the wip section for some feedback.

 

I could see the Tau willing to resupply the Company with new pieces of armor, but giving the Tau-ified versions. Over time, traditional Marine armor would get phased out, so there'd be this visual progression of the Company, with the old-timers hanging on to their original armor as long as they can and the "new blood" preferring to upgrade rather than repair.

 

And I think I've hit on why the Tau would want to keep Marines around and resupplied - experiments. Given that the Tau rely on indoctrination to keep their Empire together, learning what the can about Marine indoctrination might improve their techniques. It also provides the Tau with ample opportunity to test weapons and armor that their soldiers are physically incapable of handling. And finally, perhaps the Tau are interested in creating their own versions of super-soldiers..?

 

And in a nod to (see: ripoff of) The Princess Bride, the captain of the Company will always be Captain Blackthorn, just not the original one. This gives rise to a near-mythical status to the Company (and helps with recruiting), since only the closest of the Marines inner-circle would know the truth.